Fruit box liner



y 1940- w. F. LUCE -r AL FRUIT BOX LINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1937 July 2, 1940.

W. F. LUCE ET FRUIT BOX LINER Filed NOV. 13, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .I h b L C.

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Patented July 2, 1940 UNITED STATES FRUIT BOX LINER Willis F. Luce, Oakland,

and Clarence 0. Kennedy,

Palo Alto, Oalifi; said Kennedy assignor to Owens-Illinois Pacific Coast Company, a corporation of Delaware Application November 13, 1937, Serial 110,174,376

1 Claim,

This invention relates to liners for fruit boxes containing pears, and like fruits, and especially to a combination liner and collar particularly adapted to prevent edge cutting and friction bruising of the packed fruit during packing, storage and transportation.

The object of the present invention is generally to improve and simplify the construction and operation of liners of the character described; to provide a liner for insertion in the sides and ends of a box which can be made from comparatively thin chipboard, cardboard, or like material, and in combination therewith and as an integral part a reinforced stiffened collar to take care of the crown pack of the fruit and to prevent edge cutting during packing, transportation,

etc.

The combination liner and collar are shown by way of illustration in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the blank from which the liner and collar are formed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the completed liner and collar;

Fig. 3 is an end view showing the first folding operation when forming the collar;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the folding operation completed;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal, central, vertical section of a packed fruit box with the liner and collar in place; and

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line VI-VI of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly Fig. 1, A indicates in general the blank from which the liner and collar are formed. The blank may consist of chipboard, or like material, and in actual practice is only sixteen one-thousandths of an inch in thickness, or plainly speaking very thin when comparison is made with liners of this character in general use.

The blank is scored longitudinally along the lines indicated at 2 and 3 and crosswise on the lines 4 and 5. Silicate of soda, commonly known as water glass is applied in the stippled areas, indicated at 6 and 6 and the blank is folded on the line 2 to form the flap I which will adhere to the area 6. The blank is again folded upon itself, as shown at 8 in Fig. 4, and will adhere to the area 6*. Three layers of material are thus formed which are later trimmed along the lines 9, l0 and II to form a completed combination liner and collar. 7

In actual practice it has been found that the lower portion, indicated by the numerals l2, l3 and M, which covers the sides and ends of a fruit box may bemade comparatively thin as the main function of the liner is not altogether that of a cushion but is inserted to form a smooth surface which will prevent friction, bruising of the fruit. The collar, on the other hand, must be made of a rigid material as it would otherwise, bulge outwardly, particularly at the sides of the box where the crown is the highest, and thus permit edge cutting of the fruit. For this reason many packers use separate liners and collars, but this involves greater cost and additional labor when packing the fruit. Again, other packers will use a heavy grade of chipboard so as to permit the formation of a combined liner and collar; this obviously adds to the cost and besides that-is not satisfactory, asthe material from which the liner is made whether chipboard or otherwise, tends to absorb moisture from the fruit, or the surrounding atmosphere, and as I such tends to become soft and spring outwardly, particularly at the collar.

The combined collar and liner-here illustrated overcomes all of the objections specified. First,

it permits the use of a thin liner; secondly, it

permits the formation of a collar of practically any thickness desired; third, the collar'is reinforced and stiffened by the adhesive; fourth, the adhesive employed is of a waterproof nature, thereby preventing penetration and softening by moisture; and fifth, it is much cheaper to manufacture' as the saving in material in most instances will be about twenty per cent by weight when comparison is made with similar liners.

In actual practice the liners will be made in two halves; that is, the end sections l2 and M will cover one-half of each end of a box and the section l3 one side. It is thus necessary to insert two liners to completely cover both sides and ends. After insertion, the fruit is packed, as shown at H in Figs. 5 and 6, and finally completed with a crown after which the slat cover I8 is applied in the usual manner, after which the packed box can be handled without danger of edge cutting the fruit or otherwise damaging the same.

While silicate of soda is employed to secure the flaps forming the reinforced collar, other adhesives such as waterproof glue, etc., may be used and while this and other features have been more or less specified and described, we wish it understood that various changes may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim. Similarly, that the materials and finish of the several parts employed may be such as the manufacturer 55 may decide, or varying conditions or uses may demand.

We claim:

A combined liner and collar for fruit boxes comprising a central side liner section and a pair of end liner sections formed of thin paperboard material, a collar formed along the upper longitudinal edges of said sections, said collar comprising two integral thicknesses of the paperboard material substantially inverted U-shape in cross section superimposed on the side and end liner sections, and an adhesive securing said thicknesses of the material to each other and to the side and end sections, the upper edges of the collar in the side sections extending above the upper edges of the collar in the and sections.

WILLIS F. LUCE. CLARENCE G. KENNEDY. 

